Team Herald
PANJIM: Job scam, land-grabbing, curtailed Assembly session, Siddiqui’s escape… Goa might be on the boil for many months now, but the muted approach of the State’s principal Opposition party – the Indian National Congress – has raised fears about the party having gone soft, something that will strengthen the hands of the ruling BJP leading up to the 2027 Assembly
elections.
Why is Congress not raising decibel levels and putting the government on the mat – it’s a question that is getting louder and even long-time party members won’t ignore it anymore. Former Congress MLA Agnelo Fernandes confessed that he had noted a distinct lack of energy within its ranks. “There is no ‘josh’ in the Opposition anymore. We don’t see the fire that was once there, whether it was Congress or BJP challenging the government. Perhaps it’s due to the reduced number of opposition members in the Assembly. Barring
Vijai Sardesai, no one seems vocal enough to take on the government,”
Fernandes said.
Senior Advocate Cleofato Almeida Coutinho offered a critical perspective on Congress. While acknowledging the party’s national presence, he pointed out that Congress has failed to strengthen its grassroots base. “Congress is not a cadre-based party, and while it does take up important issues, it’s not fighting on the streets,” Coutinho said. “Democracy is safeguarded by a fighting opposition, one that engages in struggles on the streets. That’s where Congress is falling short. To defeat the BJP, we need a counter-narrative to Hindutva and leadership that can capture the people’s imagination. How that will unfold remains to be seen.”
Former Congress member and activist Sudip Tamankar highlighted the challenges faced by many opposition members. “A lot of opposition leaders today have their own businesses. If they speak out against the BJP government, they risk being harassed. We’ve seen how the government targeted Congress MLAs who later joined the BJP. The BJP is also skilled at dividing votes. A regional party, once silent, is now suddenly active, and the BJP is using them to divide votes,” Tamankar noted. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a formidable opposition, though I do appreciate the efforts of people like Vijai Sardesai in the Legislative Assembly.”
Former minister Sadanand Malik contended that the Opposition was not actually weak but was being made to appear so. “For the first time in Goa’s Legislative Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition is a first-timer. While the opposition members are competent, the government is exploiting the situation. Congress should have leveraged the experience of leaders outside the Assembly to guide the new members. This could have helped the party address key issues and mobilise support on the streets,” Malik suggested.
Elvis Gomes, a former bureaucrat and Congress leader, also voiced concerns about the party’s performance as an opposition. “The Congress party has not shown its role as an effective opposition. I agree with the general perception that the party is failing in this regard,” Gomes admitted. “There’s no mechanism to assess what the party does as an opposition. A party should be a collective effort, not reliant on just one or two individuals. Congress needs to introspect. Its failure to meet the people’s expectations is why questions are being raised in the press. We also need to sever the ties some former Congress leaders have with the BJP, as this has led to defections.”
Congress leader Everson Vales from Nuvem, however, offered a more optimistic view. “The Congress party is preparing for upcoming elections across all constituencies, and we will raise the tempo at the right time,” Vales said confidently. “Political pundits had written off Congress before the recent Lok Sabha elections, but we proved them wrong. The party knows how to strike at the right moment, and we are preparing for that.”
Yogesh Nagvenkar, a Congress member from Fatorda, acknowledged the difficulties but also emphasized the importance of grassroots support. “Although the number of leaders has dwindled after many joined the ruling party, those of us still in Congress are doing our job,” he said. “The people of Goa still have high hopes for Congress, and we haven’t met those expectations. This is why questions about the party’s role are being raised. We need a new leadership strategy at the municipal and panchayat levels to win back the hearts of the people. Congress must tighten its shoes and rally the masses with a fresh and powerful voice.”